noun
- official documents that give inventors the exclusive right to make, use, or sell their inventions for a certain period
Usage: plural of patent
verb
- obtains an official document giving exclusive rights to an invention
Usage: third person singular present tense of patent
Examples
- The company holds several patents for its new technology.
- She filed for patents on three different inventions last year.
- Drug patents typically last for twenty years.
- The inventor patents his designs to protect them from copying.
- Many tech companies spend millions acquiring patents from competitors.
- The patent office reviews thousands of patent applications annually.
- He patents every innovation his team develops.